Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has once again refuted claims that there was an attempted military coup in the country at the height of the mass demonstrations in June 2024.
Appearing before the Senate plenary on Wednesday, March 19, CS Tuya termed the report as baseless, inaccurate and reckless to say the least.
The report, citing an exclusive interview with Raila Odinga, claimed that the country was on the verge of a military rule—when Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers were deployed to the streets in Nairobi to help the police quell protests—were it not for the former prime minister’s intervention.
CS Tuya was faced with a barrage of questions from the senators, with most of them leaning on why the government opted to deploy KDF officers in an internal security matter during the anti-finance bill protests in 2024.
Why deploy KDF in internal matters?
Kisumu Senator Prof. Tom Ojienda, in questions read out by his Nairobi counterpart Edwin Sifuna, sought clarification on whether the KDF monitors the security situation within the country, as well as its preparedness to address potential instability or civilian unrest.
Senator Ojienda also sought to know the modalities for the involvement of KDF in internal security matters, as well as the measures put in place by the Ministry of Defence to ensure that future involvement of KDF in addressing instability or civilian unrest is timely to avert civilian deaths that may arise from the shortcomings of the National Police Service (NPS) as was witnessed during the June-July-August 2024 demonstrations.
While justifying the deployment of KDF officers in the streets during the protests last year, CS Tuya started by defining the mandate of the KDF, as outlined in the Constitution.
Why it was necessary, timely
According to the Constitution, the KDF’s mandate is categorised in three parts; the Primary Mandate – which is defense and protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Kenya, and the Secondary Mandate – which is to assist and cooperate with other authorities in situations of emergency or disaster, and deployment to restore peace in any part of Kenya affected by unrest/instability.
In the case of the secondary mandates of the KDF, deployment only happens with the approval of the National Assembly.
CS Tuya said that Kenya’s constitution define national security to include the protection against internal and external threats to the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, its people, the rights, freedoms, property, peace, stability and prosperity as well as other national interests.
“By dint of that constitutional definition of what national security is, and deemed by the fact that KDF is among the three national security organs, therein lies the role of KDF in matters of national security.
“Whereas primary responsibility for internal security does lie with other specialised agencies i.e. NPS and NIS, where internal threats to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Kenya arise, the constitution makes provisions for instances where KDF may be deployed internally,” CS Tuya explained.
But in the event of this deployment to deal with internal matters, CS Tuya said that KDF will mainly work in support of other national security agencies, with the force required to closely collaborate and regularly exchange information with the relevant agencies.
She also assured the country that KDF also monitors the security situation within the country: “The design of the National Security Council, as established by the Constitution, KDF is a member through myself as the Minister for Defence and the Chief of the Defence Forces.”
